By - Reporter
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MOGADISHU, 24 October 2026 Doctors in Somalia have treated 559 children born with heart defects in about three years, in a program that started with roughly 30 patients in 2024 and now does most procedures inside the country.
Of the 559, 259 were treated locally with catheter procedures and 300 complex cases were sent abroad for heart surgery, the Mogadishu Heart Center said on Thursday at its Heart Hero Day ceremony in Mogadishu.
"The number is almost doubling," said Dr. Mohamed Ahmed, a paediatric cardiologist and cardiac surgeon. "Once it is treated, they will live a normal life for the rest of their life."
Treatment is free. Most of the cost, including equipment brought from abroad, is covered by Qatar Charity, which doctors described as the largest funder of congenital heart care in Somalia. The Hormuud Foundation and private donors also contribute.
Until recently, Somali children with heart defects had to travel abroad. Abdifatah Adan, head of Qatar Charity's Somalia office, said when the charity first discussed in-country treatment with the health ministry in 2018, "the infrastructure did not exist – neither the hospitals nor the doctors." The first campaign was held in Hargeisa.
The centre now plans to begin open-heart surgery inside Somalia. Abdifatah Omar Ahmed, head of operations and human resources at the Mogadishu Heart Center, said the work would be done in partnership with the Mogadishu Health Cluster.
Specialist technicians are still flown in from abroad. Adan said the charity planned to sponsor Somali doctors and technicians for specialist training, aiming to have a fully Somali team within five to six years.
Doctors say demand still far outstrips capacity. "We have the capacity, the energy and the team, but outside support is very limited," Ahmed said, adding that with more funding, the centre could reach thousands of children in the coming years.
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Mohamed Abdullahi Isse, chairman of the association of private hospitals in Somalia, said many more children were still waiting for care. He said the rise in diagnosed cases reflected more cardiologists and better diagnostic tools: in the past, many children with heart defects died without ever being diagnosed.
He added that many cases could be prevented through antenatal care, and urged doctors across the country to refer children with suspected heart conditions to specialist clinics.
For families, the change has been dramatic. Dahabo Hassan Mohamud said doctors first told her nothing could be done in Somalia for her daughter, who fell ill before she was a month old and needed oxygen. For months she could only give her medication.
"She was operated on for free," she said. "We did not pay any of the cost of the surgery."
Mulki Mohamed Hussein learned her son had a hole in his heart when he was three months old. "It felt like the sky had fallen on me," she said.
After four years of struggling to find treatment, she was referred to the heart team in Mogadishu. Her son had the procedure, and after two months of follow-up checks he is now healthy, she said.
The centre aims to double the number of children it treats next year and says continued donor funding will decide how many more children can be reached.